Who plays three at the back?
Share of line-ups set out with three defenders — the shape that has grown faster than any other in the archive.
Serie A (Italy) commits hardest: 45.3% of its line-ups start with three defenders.
| League | Three at the back | Line-ups |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Serie A Italy | 45.3% | 7,660 |
| 2. Serie B Italy | 41% | 8,020 |
| 3. Bundesliga Germany | 40% | 5,570 |
| 4. Jupiler Pro League Belgium | 36.3% | 5,393 |
| 5. J1 League Japan | 34.5% | 5,694 |
| 6. Premiership Scotland | 32.3% | 3,828 |
| 7. K League 1 South Korea | 32% | 2,774 |
| 8. Bundesliga Austria | 31.6% | 3,896 |
| 9. FA Cup England | 31.5% | 2,034 |
| 10. DFB Pokal Germany | 29% | 1,125 |
| 11. 2. Bundesliga Germany | 28.5% | 6,210 |
| 12. Championship England | 27.2% | 11,236 |
| 13. Ekstraklasa Poland | 26.7% | 4,792 |
| 14. Allsvenskan Sweden | 26.2% | 4,768 |
| 15. Superliga Denmark | 25.4% | 4,095 |
| 16. HNL Croatia | 25.3% | 2,338 |
| 17. UEFA Nations League International | 24.6% | 1,291 |
| 18. Premier League Russia | 23.4% | 4,906 |
| 19. Super League Switzerland | 22.8% | 3,922 |
| 20. Ligue 1 France | 22.2% | 7,014 |
Showing the major competitions. Include every competition
Any formation whose first line is a three. The provider records a formation for roughly a quarter of line-ups, so a league appears only once enough of its matches carry one.